


forever is the sweetest con

by onelastride



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/F, Fluff, slow dances who doesnt love slow dances, youd think id be better at tagging by now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-17
Updated: 2021-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-25 17:47:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,650
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30092808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onelastride/pseuds/onelastride
Summary: where jj and emily meet at an ambassador's ball and not at the bau
Relationships: Jennifer "JJ" Jareau/Emily Prentiss
Kudos: 37





	forever is the sweetest con

Jennifer Jareau was less than thrilled to be spending her Friday evening at the Ambassador’s Ball, watching women be paraded around by their husbands as if they were trophies while she sipped on expensive champagne in an attempt to make it look like she belonged with the rich and powerful. In truth, Jennifer was just sent to the event as security detail to make sure nothing went awry. Other members of her team could be seen from where she’d perched herself in the room; she made a mental note to comment on how well every one cleaned up once they were all back in the office on Monday.

She wore a sapphire evening gown that cut down _just_ low enough and hugged her curves in _just_ the right places, her hair curled and pinned back so it cascaded down her left shoulder. It was not conventional by any stretch of the imagination; she would have preferred something that allowed for more movement on her end in case she had to act quickly. Light conversation from guests around her became background noise as she continued to scan the room.

There were couples moving together to the ballads of love songs that filled the room, others were mingling at tables that outlined around the ballroom. She could see Morgan out on the ballroom floor, a young woman leaned close to him as he led the way in a dance. Spencer was at a table talking animatedly to a couple, whatever the conversation was it seemed to excite the young man. Hotch was catching up with Ambassador Prentiss, the only person in this entire building that Jennifer Jareau was actually familiar with.

The team was here as a favor for her, she’d requested the extra security but only if Aaron Hotchner could provide it. Strings were pulled and the request was granted. 

A low voice just to her right startled her, and she turned her head quickly to see who it belonged to. She was greeted with a brunette who was wearing a red floor length gown, her hair pinned up and everything seemed to fall perfectly into place. Apparently her jumpy reaction was not lost on the other woman because she laughed and apologized, her hand coming to rest on Jennifer’s upper arm.

“What did you say?”

“I just asked if you would like to dance, you’ve been eyeing the floor all night,” the brunette smirked.

Jennifer opened her mouth and started to shake her head but the other woman cut her off, “You’re here for work? Poor excuse, my mother is the reason you’re wasting away your Friday with the politically powerful. At least make this enjoyable for yourself,” she held out her hand for JJ to take.

JJ knew that Ambassador Prentiss had a daughter, but what she hadn’t expected was for said daughter to be asking her to dance. Nor did she ever expect the Ambassador’s daughter to look so, exquisite. She accepted the other woman’s hand and allowed herself to be brought onto the dancefloor, “I didn’t quite get your name?”

“I never told you,” she pulled JJ in close, her hands resting on her hips as JJ brought her hands to rest on her shoulders. JJ raised an eyebrow, “So are you going to tell me?” “It’s Emily,” she flashed a quick smile and JJ hated to admit it but she felt herself swoon for a moment, “And you are?”

“Jennifer,” she paused, mulling over if she should offer her last name. She wasn’t sure what formalities were necessary when you’re dancing with a stranger, “Jareau. You can call me JJ though.”

“A very beautiful name, it suits you.”

“Are you inadvertently calling me beautiful, Emily Prentiss?”

The brunette chuckled and shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe.”

“How did you know I was here with the FBI?” JJ silently prayed she truly wasn’t sticking out like a sore thumb as she tried to blend into the background.

“Takes one to know one,” the brunette stated nonchalantly. JJ’s brow furrowed for a moment before the pieces fell into place, “You also work for the bureau?” 

“Field offices out in the Midwest, yeah,” she pushed back to twirl JJ around before bringing her back in. They quickly fell into a rhythm, JJ eventually coming to rest her head on Emily’s shoulder as they swayed in unison. She caught the eye of Morgan who smirked at her and she threw a glare in his direction.

“How long are you in town for, then?”

“I leave Sunday night,” she felt Emily release a huff of air at that statement and JJ tilted her head up to study the brunette’s face. Their eyes met momentarily and Emily smiled down at her which caused JJ to faintly smile back at the brunette. There was something comforting in the brunette’s dark eyes, in a sense JJ envisioned that they could feel like home one day. She was getting wildly ahead of herself.

Just by watching the other woman she could see that she was deep in thought, that her body was physically present but her mind was a million miles away. At this point she was just moving on autopilot, the rhythmic push and pull of dancing with a stranger allowed her to ponder something. 

And JJ didn’t want to pry, after all, she barely knew this woman.

She subconsciously moved her arms and wrapped them around Emily’s neck, pulling herself closer to the other woman. She took the chance to go back to doing what she was getting paid to do, watch the room. Not much had changed except a few guests had started to leave the venue. JJ saw Emily’s mother looking in their direction, and to the untrained eye her expression would seem unreadable, but Jennifer couldn’t help but notice the flicker of disappointment that was expressed in her eyes.

“Your mother is watching,” she murmured softly.

At that statement she felt the brunette stiffen and JJ frowned, “Do you want to step outside?” 

“Aren’t you working?”

JJ hummed lightly, weighing her options before shrugging, “I’m your security detail, and aren’t you the one who used work as a poor excuse earlier?” That answer seemed to be sufficient enough for Emily because she pulled back and offered her arm for the blonde to take. She took hold of the other woman’s arm and soon enough she found herself being dragged to some destination by Emily for the second time that night. 

They departed the room and stepped outside on to the balcony; it was a welcome breath of fresh air as JJ hadn’t even noticed how stuffy the ballroom was starting to feel. She walked to the railing, resting herself gently against it when Emily appeared beside her holding out a champagne flute that she gratefully accepted.

She watched as Emily raised the flute up to her red stained lips, swallowing rather harshly when the brunette took a sip. Emily turned and rested her right arm against the railing, “Liking what you see, blondie?” JJ stuttered for a moment as she tried to find the words and Emily let out the most perfect laugh she’d ever heard, “I’m teasing you. Thank you for coming out here with me.”

“I was the one who suggested it,” she pointed out, “what do you do at these events anyways?”

Emily shrugged her shoulders, “Talk to strangers and tell them things that they want to hear. It really isn’t my scene, so I try to make it fun.”

“Is that what you’re doing with me?” 

“Nope,” the brunette dropped her gaze to her feet momentarily before looking back up again, “consider yourself special. What are you doing tomorrow?”

JJ brought her glass up to her lips, “Nothing,” she took a sip and lowered the flute, “shall I keep my schedule cleared just for you?”

“What? You got people trying to make plans with you for tomorrow this late in the night?”

“I’m a popular woman,” she quipped.

“I don’t doubt it,” Emily winked and JJ almost choked at that. 

She turned to lean her back against the railing, resting both her elbows on the cool metal and letting her head tilt back slightly. She could feel strands of her blonde hair begin to fall as gravity pulled at it but she paid no mind, instead she was fixing her gaze on the sky above as the stars shone down brightly, “Growing up as an Ambassador’s daughter must’ve had some perks.”

The blonde could feel her counterpart shifting next to her but didn’t bring her attention to the other woman, instead she just raised the glass to her lips and downed the last bit of expensive champagne she had. She could hear Emily draw in a sharp breath before she spoke, “Not really. Unless you count constantly moving as a perk, then sure.”

This caused JJ to turn her head to look at the woman, “Where all did you live?” “Italy, France, places around the Middle East, just to name a few,” her voice trailed off and she frowned slightly, “I don’t want to bore you with all the places I’ve lived.”

“How many languages can you speak?”

“Are you interrogating me?”

JJ laughed, “Just trying to get to know you a bit better, after all you were holding me in your arms on the dance floor earlier, this only seems fair,” she turned again to rest her left arm on the railing, moving a few steps forward so she could get closer to the brunette. At that she heard Emily’s breath hitch slightly and JJ couldn’t help but smirk, looking up into those dark eyes once again, “Can I ask you something?”

“Anything,” Emily worried her bottom lip slightly.

“Why’d you get stiff when I mentioned your mother was watching?”

This earned her a headshake from the other woman, “We don’t have to get into that right now.” JJ brought her right hand up and rested it on the brunette’s arm, her eyes shining with a hint of worry, “I didn’t overstep anything did I?”

“You? Overstepping? I was the one who asked you to dance, Jareau.”

Emily was deflecting, that much was clear, and it didn’t ease JJ’s nerves that somehow the Ambassador was upset that she wasn’t sticking to watching the crowd. “No, I know, I just,” words were failing her, “I just didn’t want to have done something wrong.” 

She felt a hand cup her cheek and force her to look into the other woman’s eyes, “I promise, you did not overstep. If you had, she would’ve mentioned it in a heartbeat. After all, you’d just seen her looking in our direction, right?” JJ nodded slightly and the brunette continued with a faint smile on her lips, “Nothing to worry about then.” 

She dropped her hand and JJ immediately missed the contact, “I should probably go back inside, I don’t want my team to think something happened to me,” she whispered. Emily nodded and once again held her arm out for the blonde to take, “Ever the gentleman,” Jennifer commented. Emily laughed and in that moment JJ vowed to make Emily laugh whenever she could because it was quickly becoming one of her favorite sounds in the world.

“Do you have a business card or something? I’d love to keep in touch,” the brunette broke the silence as they strode inside. “I didn’t put any in my clutch but if you can get me a napkin and a pen I’ll write it down for you.”

“I can find one,” they stopped walking once the pair reached the spot where they both met each other earlier that night, Emily unlinking their arms and striding off to go find something for Jennifer to put her number on. She watched the brunette walk away, following the sway of her hips, when Spencer approached her and blocked her view of the brunette.

“What do you need, Spence?” There was a bit of an edge to her voice that the younger man had clearly picked up on due to him putting his hands up in a mock surrender, “Just wondering what you and the Ambassador’s daughter stepped out to discuss.”

JJ softened her eyes for a moment letting out a sigh, “We just stepped out to get some fresh air.”

“I think she’s into you,” he stated bluntly.

Her baby blue eyes widened and he continued, “You’re the only person she’s danced with all night.”

“She was just being nice.”

He ignored her, “and now, I presume, she is getting something to get your number. She isn’t asking for other guest’s numbers now is she?”

“I suppose not,” she leaned her side up against the wall and Spencer put his hands in his pocket, “Do you like her?”

“I don’t do that.”

“Do what?”

“Fall for people,” her gaze fixated past his shoulder, silently praying for Emily to reappear and save her from this conversation.

“There’s a first time for everything,” he leaned in close to her face, “pupils dilated, slight flush. You know, science doesn’t lie. You have an attraction to her.” She swatted him away as a blush rose up her chest and onto her cheeks, “Be quiet.”

He backed up and smiled at her, “I think you should go for it.”

“She lives out in the Midwest, it wouldn’t work.”

“Low commitment, isn’t that what you like?” 

The blonde lightly chewed on the inside of her cheek; he wasn’t wrong with that statement. Relationships never came easy for her and it was all primarily due to her busy work schedule. It was always difficult for her to ever find someone who was accommodating of her work, or at the very minimum, understanding of it. That’s why whirlwind romances were optimal for her, spend a few weeks together just to forget about each other when the sun comes up. 

She focused on the young man in front of her and sighed through her nose, “I think I want this one to be different.” 

“So, you’ll go for it?”

Before she could answer the brunette had returned, holding out a pen and some random man’s business card for her to write on the back of, “Smooth talked a random gentleman into getting his information, just to turn around and hand it over to you to get yours.”

Jennifer blushed and took the items from Emily, turning her back to her so she could put the card on the wall and write down her information. Behind her she could hear Spencer making small talk with the other woman where he eventually let slip what hotel the team would be staying at tonight. Emily made a comment of what a good wingman Spencer made and JJ whipped around quickly to hand back over the business card.

“Can I count on a phone call from you tonight?”

“I’ll have to check my schedule,” her eyes shone and she leaned in to place a soft kiss on the blonde’s cheek, “I’ll see you later, Jennifer.”

The other woman turned away and left the blonde standing with her mouth open, “You’ll catch flies that way, Jareau,” Spencer gently put his hand under her chin and manually closed the blonde’s mouth for her, while doing so he leaned in close again, “pupils still dilated. Yep. You like her.” She gently pushed him away once again and let out a huff of air. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion for the blonde as she chastised herself for allowing a kiss on her cheek to allow her brain to short circuit this much. 

Spencer looked down at his watch and took JJ by the wrist, muttering something about how it was time for them to leave the venue. All those words were lost on the blonde as she placed her fingers on her cheek, right over where Emily’s lips had been just minutes earlier.

**Author's Note:**

> i originally had this written as a one shot but for the life of me cannot get to an ending i am satisfied with, so here is part one and i hope to have part two up soon. hope yall enjoyed.


End file.
